SSX Returns
by Dyceman88
Summary: Two years have passed since SSX collapsed but now Zoe Payne has been asked to help put it back together and she has the perfect idea how...the 10 Deadly Descents, a mind blowing event. However they aren't the only snowboarders with their eyes on the these mountains.
1. Chapter 1

Important Notice:

I do not own the rights to SSX or any of its characters and the stories I write is merely fan fiction; they are tributes to what I think is one of the most awesome sport/ race games of all time. This is a slight re-imagining of SSX 2012's story.

To save me going through all the ages in the story (though I may mention them anyway), I have them listed here (some of these characters are only mentioned briefly): Mac (22), Elise (30), Kaori (23), Moby (24), Zoe (26), Psymon (32), JP (32), Eddie (25), Marty (27), Allegra (22), Nate (30), Sid (27), Tyson (22), Tane (28), Ty (26), Alexis (26), Jack (?)

Chapter 1: The 10 Deadly Descents

Zoe Payne roared across the finish line on her dirt bike and the crowd cheered 'and she's done it ladies and gentlemen' screamed the announcer 'Zoe "Royal" Payne, The Demon, has won the tournament for the second year in a row.'

Zoe grinned to herself under the helmet; it had been two years since SSX had fallen apart after the unfortunate events at Powder Keg (SSX On Tour), ever since her fight with Moby and Psymon she had lost touch with them and gone back to her original passion…Motocross. When she wasn't doing that she was traveling round the world, seeing exotic locations and trying daring things.

Drawn back to the present by the sound of the announcer coming over to her she pulled off her helmet, flicking her black and red streaked hair out of her eyes 'so Zoe, any words for the crowd?'

Zoe laughed 'only what I always say, I live to ride and ride to live.'

'So SSX falling apart isn't going to shake you down' the announcer asked curiously.

'Hell no' Zoe said 'if I want to ride I can still do that…and I intend to…with winter coming, I might just get my old snowboard back out.'

'Did you hear that folks, nothing can keep this Demon off the slopes…or the track' turning back to her he finished 'am I right?'

Nodding Zoe smirked 'damn right.'

Meanwhile in his chalet at the bottom of Whitehorn Mountain, Todd Batty was frowning to himself as he thought over what to do…he had messed up badly back at Powder Keg, he'd let that unofficial tournament get out of hand…and it had ruined something special. Now he had to find a way to bring it back together, but it was going to need something amazing…something that would prove to the world SSX were more than just racers…more than just a bunch of crazy people who could pull off tricks. He already had DJ Atomika on the case, looking for something that they could organise that would…blow minds. Winter was approaching fast so he'd have to hurry.

Suddenly one of his staff members came into the room 'boss I think we've found a solution to our problem…you said you wanted something mind blowing right…well how about we ask the experts?'

Todd raised his eyebrow 'If you're referring to the SSX Crew members…I no longer have contact with the experts.'

Moving over to Todd's laptop the man looked up a clip and it showed Zoe Payne announcing her getting back to snowboarding after a race.

Picking up the phone Todd rung DJ Atomika's number 'Atomika…no shut up listen, I just got the perfect idea…but I'll need you to go to Baltimore, Maryland.'

Two days later Zoe was at her garage when someone spoke behind her.

'Hey Payne Train, how's it going, been too long' came an all too familiar voice, a voice with a smug and cocky edge to it Zoe had always found irritating.

'Oh god, how the hell did you find my address Atomika' Zoe said standing up from where she was cleaning her bike and going to clean her hands.

'It's still on the SSX records' Atomika said with a laugh.

'SSX is over, I was there, in fact it was largely your fault' Zoe said irritably.

Atomika gave a laugh 'hey I'm just the middle man ok, don't go blaming me' after a moment of silence he said 'listen…I have an offer for you…or rather we do.'

'Whose we' Zoe asked curiously, her eyebrow raised.

'Todd wants to get SSX back up and running, but he wants the opinion of…experts…snowboarders to be more precise' Atomika explained.

Grinning Zoe said 'well, that is interesting…but how do you think you're going to recover from what happened, your average tournament isn't going to do it.'

'Our thoughts exactly' Atomika replied, leaning against the door of her garage 'so…any ideas?'

Zoe sighed then shook her head 'you'd be better off asking Mac, he's the real go to guy for everything to do with snowboarding.'

'Yeah…we tried that, can't find him, guys gone totally AWOL' Atomika said 'but we're working on it.'

'Hope so, can't have SSX without him' Zoe replied.

Atomika pulled out his phone 'so shall I tell Todd you're in?'

'You forget who you're talking, I'm Zoe Payne, of course I'm in' Zoe replied with a wicked grin.

'Awesome' handing her an envelope he said 'just use this flight ticket and come join us in Canada…see you soon' and with that he left.

Two days later Todd was sighing in irritation as he was talking on the phone with someone from Mt Tremblant 'so he's not there…you're sure…ok thank you' he hung up and Atomika chose that moment to come in.

'Still searching for Mac' he asked.

Todd nodded 'yeah, guy has totally vanished, I've tried every mountain he's been seen on in the past…nothing.'

'Maybe he's not snowboarding' Atomika suggested thoughtfully.

Todd frowned thoughtfully but then shook it off 'Mac Fraser? No, he's in a resort somewhere, I've figured out he went onto the pro circuit after SSX fell apart, but then he left, his reason being it was not a challenge.'

'Well compared to SSX it probably wasn't' Atomika said reasonably 'Zoe Payne should be arriving anytime now…so what's our plan?'

'Well we should sit down with her and ask her if she can think of an event that will rocket SSX back to stardom' Todd replied simply.

'Tried that, she says she doesn't have one' Atomika said casually, sitting in one of the chairs.

'Actually she does' said a voice and they both turned to see Zoe standing the doorway 'hey Todd, been a long time.'

'Likewise Zoe, you're looking as fit as ever' he said shaking the hand she offered.

'You said you had a plan' Atomika asked, his eyebrow raised doubtfully.

Zoe nodded 'yep, did some research, but we're gonna need some stuff; the most skilled boarders we can find, chopper pilots and survival gear and we need to be relatively quick about getting all this.'

Atomika laughed 'easier said than done' seeing Todd nod to him though he added 'but I'll start making the calls.'

'Please sit down' Todd said to Zoe offering her Atomika's chair as he sat up and went into the far corner to make the calls.

'Alright so my idea…it's a little crazy…but it'll definitely get SSX back on its feet' Zoe said 'we probably can't call in all our crew members for this one…we just need a few really skilled members for an elite team.'

Todd frowned, holding up his hand in uncertainty 'a team, so we won't be competing against each other?'

'No…not this time, Todd…sir, we can do that anytime…but this will be once in a lifetime, you said you wanted something really special right, that's what your letter said?'

Todd nodded 'yes, very true, go on then.'

'Alright then, well there is this website…it talks about the 10 Deadly Descents; ten mountain regions from around the world that are considered amongst the most deadly and dangerous…if SSX could conquer them, it would be monumental…no one has ever done it!'

Suddenly Atomika stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Zoe with shock 'have you lost your mind, the ten…no…I think you've taken one too many crashes to the head Zoe.'

'I'm serious' Zoe argued.

'You're insane is what you are' Atomika replied 'the deadly descents are a fools dream, they are insurmountable, unbeatable, unachievable.'

Zoe grinned 'so imagine what would happen if we did beat them.'

'You'd die trying' Atomika replied 'even you beat the other nine no one has ever beaten number ten…Mt Everest.'

Todd's wide eyes showed his surprise 'maybe…maybe this isn't such a smart idea.'

'I can handle Mt Everest, we just need nine other members who can handle the other regions' Zoe replied 'if we can assemble a skilled enough team… the deadly descents aren't our primary problem.'

Atomika laughed hysterically 'what could be more of a problem than that?'

'Jack' Zoe replied irritably 'you guys might remember him as the Unknown Rider.'

Atomika frowned 'that weird guy from Big Mountain? His real name is Jack?'

'No Jack is an alias I think, he recently put up a message on the deadly descent website…he's going to try and conquer them too…if he does it before us…well it'll mean nothing' Zoe explained.

There was a moment of silence then Atomika swore 'well that complicates things…Zoe you might need to help out a bit here, I can't get all this set up by myself, even with our staff helping.'

Zoe shrugged 'no problem, I can get the boarders; I think I have a few ideas when it comes to them anyway.'

'Alright then and I'll get our chopper pilots and the survival gear, I'll check out that website for what we might need' Atomika said.

'Speaking of, what are the other nine deadly descents then' Todd asked 'Himalayas are one I assume…how about the rest?'

Zoe laughed and nodded out the window behind Todd 'well one is on your front porch, Canadian Rockies.'

'Who should we ask to do that' Todd said 'lot of rocks and trees, real rough terrain out there.'

'Sounds like my kind of stuff…but I volunteered for the Himalayas so…' Zoe trailed off thoughtfully.

'How about one of the Logan brothers' Atomika suggested.

Zoe grinned 'yeah, they know the Rockies well, Nate would be better, he has more experience, no offence to Tyson.'

'Then there's Patagonia' Atomika said 'in South America, that place is dangerous as hell.'

'That one is easy, Elise, she just got into a new sport, wingsuiting and we're going to need her skills in that area' Zoe replied.

'You can't tell me Alaska isn't on there' Todd said with a frown.

'It is' Zoe replied with a wicked grin 'I have someone in mind for that one, a new guy.'

Atomika frowned 'is that really wise, we need experienced people for this.'

'Trust me this guy is just what we need' Zoe replied.

'Antarctica…' Atomika said, moving on 'any ideas?'

Zoe wanted to say Moby, but she wasn't sure how she felt about seeing him again…but this was more important than that 'Moby, the guy was built for crazy conditions.'

'The Alps are one of the biggest' Todd said, who had brought up the site on his computer now…'we could use someone who knows them well.'

'Well there's JP' Atomika suggested 'he's the only French guy in SSX and he loves the Alps.'

Zoe made a face 'I'd really rather not, no one likes him.'

Unable to come up with anything they said 'well we'll come back to that one' Todd said 'how about Africa…Africa…seriously?'

Zoe laughed 'yeah, seriously, cool huh?'

'How about Psymon, he's the only guy psychotic enough to leap into a goddamn volcano/ mountain' Atomika laughed 'and it won't be so much of a problem if he never comes out either.'

Zoe scowled at Atomika 'hey, that's my friend you're talking about.'

'I was under the impression you guys had a falling out' Atomika replied.

To that Zoe said nothing 'Psymon would be better for Siberia, the guy is an awesome glacier climber, he can handle himself when things get…rough and covered in ice.'

'And what about Africa' Atomika asked curiously.

'I was thinking Mac, if he's ok with it of course, I mean it's going to be seriously dangerous in there and Mac has ridden more mountains than the rest of us combined' Zoe said 'he can handle himself anywhere.'

'It's true' Atomika said 'gotta give the guy props, he's gifted.'

'Kaori should handle Mt Fuji for obvious reasons' Zoe said, 'I mean the girl is Japanese, she has ridden pretty much every corner of Japan, she knows the terrain.'

'Well I'm glad you picked her and not Hiro or Sid, those two Japanese guys just annoy me' Atomika replied 'Sid is a jerk and Hiro…well he's a bit of a loner.'

'Last but not least we have the Southern Alps in New Zealand…who should take that on' Todd asked curiously.

Both Zoe and Atomika shook their heads, uncertain 'how about that Australian from Powder Keg…what was her name…Skye' Atomika asked.

'Maybe' Zoe muttered 'but it just doesn't seem right, Southern Alps has a lot of backcountry, nasty whiteout conditions, Skye was all about speed…no we need someone more into backcountry.'

'Well start rounding up the others…I'll call you if we find anyone' Todd said 'good luck.'


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Team SSX

Zoe's first stop was Fiji, as they had no idea where to look for Mac or any of the others she may as well start by looking up her old friend.

As she travelled to Fiji she re-called how she had first met the amazing surfer, Tane Mumea, he was apparently the best surfer in the Southern Hemisphere, not that he was big headed or anything, he was a chilled laid back guy who really wasn't big on the spotlight or competition, he just took things as they came and enjoyed free riding.

About a year ago Zoe had come to Fiji on vacation and she had been lying on a hammock on the beach, near a bar when she had spotted Tane surfing out on the giant waves. What she had seen that day had amazed her, Tane had potential…if he could harness that skill, Zoe just knew he could probably outrun avalanches. When Tane had finished surfing he had come up to the bar and ordered a drink, seeing her he had raised given her a charming, friendly smile and said 'hey, haven't seen you around before.'

'On vacation' she had replied with a smile, sitting up and getting off the hammock to go stand beside Tane 'Zoe Payne' she had said offering her hand.

'Tane' he had replied 'Tane Mumea.'

'Nice moves out there Tane; you sure know how to ride the waves' she had replied.

Tane smiled 'thanks, been doing it all my life.'

'Ever tried other board sports…like snowboarding' she asked curiously.

Tane shook his head 'not much snow round these parts.'

Zoe laughed 'true, I meant more in Australia or New Zealand maybe.'

'Well I've thought about it, friend of mine always said you can pick up a snowboard easy if you know surfing…just haven't really got around to it' Tane replied.

Watching the waves for a couple of moments Zoe had then said 'tell me you compete though.'

Tane nodded 'yeah I do, but I prefer the freedom of riding my own way, media and competition has never been my thing. Speaking of competition you look kind of familiar…weren't you part of some group or something until recently, your name rings a bell.'

Zoe smiled 'wondering if that was going to come up…yeah I was part of SSX.'

Tane had raised an eyebrow, clearly not sure what that was 'Snowboard Super Cross' Zoe explained 'but we broke up a little while ago.'

'Sorry to hear that' Tane replied.

Zoe shrugged 'it was stupid really, I'm convinced we'll make a comeback one day.'

Getting his drink Tane raised his drink 'well here's to that.'

Zoe came back to the present as she arrived back on the beach and started looking around for Tane, he was bound to be around here somewhere.

She stopped by one of the lifeguards and looked up at him, wearing her blood red and black bikini 'excuse me, I'm looking for Tane Mumea.'

The lifeguard pointed to the edge of the water where a group of surfers were.

Running over to him, ignoring the whistles she got from people, she called 'hey Tane!'

Turning to see who was calling him Tane smiled widely 'hey Zoe, how's it going girl?'

The two hugged, Zoe couldn't deny that his buff body in a wetsuit was kind of hot 'it's all good, I was wondering if we could talk, you know, somewhere a little private.'

The other surfers made embarrassing "oooohhh" noises but Zoe was immune to it and clearly so was Tane, he just waved them off 'I'll join you guys later' he told them.

The two went into the shade of a house just off the beach 'this your place' Zoe asked curiously.

'Yeah' Tane replied, moving over to a small kitchen area 'want a drink?'

Zoe nodded 'yeah, it's boiling out there.'

Tane laughed 'it takes some getting used to.'

His house was modern but small and simple, with an upstairs that could be seen from the bottom floor and only seemed to consist of a bed from what Zoe could see, the downstairs had a kitchen, sofa, bathroom…and that was about it.

'So what brings you all the way out to Fiji Zo, another vacation' he asked curiously, tossing her a beer.

'Actually no, I have an offer for you, and it is pretty major' Zoe replied.

Tane grinned 'ok then, major, guess I better sit down' he replied jokingly.

'I'm serious' Zoe replied 'you remember SSX…well we're back…and we could really use your help.'

Tane blinked 'well that's awesome but…how could I help?'

'Did you try snowboarding' Zoe asked curiously.

'Yeah…I was actually pretty good at it, why' Tane replied.

'Because SSX is trying to get its reputation back…so we need to conquer the 10 Deadly Descents…I want you to take on Alaska' Zoe replied.

'Why Alaska' Tane asked with a frown.

'Because it has avalanches, you're the best surfer in the Southern Hemisphere dude, when you want to outrun avalanches…you send in a surfer' Zoe explained.

Tane frowned thoughtfully 'that might just work…I mean, still sounds crazy to me…but I see the logic.'

'So will you help us' Zoe asked standing up 'I have other boarders to round up…you can come with me or stay and pack.'

'I'll come' Tane replied standing up and shaking her hand.

As the two of them prepared to leave Zoe got a call from Todd 'hey Zoe, how are you doing?'

'One down, eight to go' Zoe replied 'any news on Mac?'

'Yeah that's why I called you, finally found the guy, he's currently on Mt Baker, get your butt over there quickly before he moves again' Todd replied 'oh and ask him if he knows anything about Kaori and who we can use for the Southern Alps, he was on the pro circuit, he might have met a few people.'

'Sure, no problem' Zoe replied and she hung up, turning to Tane she said 'ok, when you're ready it's off to America.'

When the two of them arrived at Mt Baker, finding Mac's chalet wasn't hard, it was the biggest building they had on the outskirts of the resort. A huge wooden lodge with a fancy fence around it and the letters "MF" stamped on the front gate.

'You sure have friends that live in style' Tane commented from his seat next to her in the all-terrain vehicle.

Zoe grinned 'yeah, well that's Mac for you, guy loves luxury…or at least he used to.'

'Don't think much has changed' Tane commented.

'Well I don't see any party going on…that's a little odd for him' Zoe replied with a frown, she opened her door and got out, going over to the buzzer by the gate and pressed it.

At first there was no answer and then finally a voice came back 'yoh what up, whose there?'

'An old friend' Zoe replied with a laugh.

'Got a lot of those lady, gonna have to be a bit more specific' Mac's voice replied 'wait…you're not Dana are you?'

Shaking her head Zoe sighed 'Mac it's me…Zoe Payne.'

There was a silence from the other side then the buzzer went off and the gates began to open, shrugging, Zoe got back into the car and drove up the small drive and parked.

The two of them got out, Tane wearing his colourful rainbow jacket over an orange shirt with baggy dark jeans.

Zoe was wearing a brown leather jacket against the cold and a long sleeve black rocker shirt underneath to match her dark plaid punk pants.

Bursting out the front door of the chalet Mac stood there grinning wearing baggy urban camo pants and a red shirt 'hey Zo, what up girl?'

Moving closer the two gave a quick hug 'not much' Zoe commented, she noticed that Mac had grown a bit since she'd last seen him. Otherwise though he had grown back his shaggy dark brown mop of hair and had a small stubble on his chin, neatly groomed, clearly his new lifestyle left little time for haircuts. He'd done away with the short shaved look from Powder Keg…and she was glad, she hadn't liked it much.

Casting a glance at Tane, Mac said 'who's he?'

'Mac meet Tane Mumea, Tane this is Mac Fraser' Zoe said making introductions.

Tane waved 'hey, so you're the infamous Mac huh?'

Mac grinned 'yeah that's me, the Mac-Attack.'

Rolling her eyes Zoe said 'you really gotta stop with those names.'

Mac gestured for them to follow him inside 'hell to the no, it's what I do Zo; snowboarder, DJ and skateboarding superstar…oh yeah.'

'So what's with the whole lone wolf lifestyle lately' Zoe asked curiously as they moved into his huge lounge with a massive plasma screen TV, several sofas and a drinks bar.

Mac didn't reply to her question, he just gestured for them to sit down 'you guys want a drink or something?'

They shook their heads as they made themselves comfy, Tane sat down on one of the sofas and Zoe joined him but put her feet up on the coffee table, knowing mac was highly informal.

'So why you guys here' Mac asked finally, bringing over three beers 'fancy a little snowboarding for old times' sake?'

Zoe grinned 'funny you should say that, I'm here on behalf of SSX and…' but Mac cut her off.

'Oh no, nuh uh, forget it, whatever it is Zoe you can count me out' Mac replied 'SSX is my past…I ride alone now.'

Zoe snorted 'yeah right Mac…you live for snowboarding.'

'I live for real snowboarding' Mac corrected from where he lay back on the sofa 'I'm too good to be part of the pro-circuit…or some tournament where it is all about the money…me and the mountain, that is what it is all about.'

Sitting forward Tane said 'look Mac, I don't know you that well, but I'm not big on competition either…I'm up for this though…can't you at least hear Zoe out, you might like it.'

Sighing Mac shrugged, swirling his bottle in his hand 'fine, what crazy idea is SSX planning this time.'

'Well SSX has lost its reputation big time…after what happened I don't need to tell you why' Zoe replied.

'Yeah, got that right' Mac replied 'bad times, so what are we going to do about it?'

'You ever heard of the 10 Deadly Descents' Zoe asked curiously.

Mac nodded 'hell yeah, know some guys who thought about trying it but chickened out…also there was this other guy…Jack or something, he sounded serious.'

'You've met Jack' Zoe frowned.

Mac shook his head 'saw him in TV…he sounded like he serious guts. Anyway…wait, are you saying…SSX is going to take them on?'

Zoe grinned 'oh yeah, as a team we're going to conquer them, before Jack, and that will regain our reputation.'

'As a team…so I'm guessing you want each of us to take on one of them or something right' Mac replied.

'You got it, I was hoping you could do Africa' Zoe replied.

Mac gulped 'Africa…as in…volcanoes and the descent being…Kilimanjaro?'

Tane laughed slightly 'you ok, you look a little pale.'

Shaking it off Mac said 'I'm fine…that's some serious stuff…alright I'm in.'

'We're going to need Kaori for this too, you two still in contact' Zoe asked curiously.

Mac gave an awkward laugh 'uh…no, we uh…kind of had a fight…haven't seen her since I left the pro-circuit.'

'But can you contact her' Zoe asked again 'this is serious Mac, we're going to need her, just ask her if she can come to Canada.'

Mac sighed 'I'll try, but she'll probably just end up yelling at me in Japanese, girl scares me.'

'We also need someone who can handle backcountry well, we got no one for the Southern Alps' Zoe said 'did you ever meet anyone that work.'

Frowning with thought Mac said 'can't you just call Tyson; he's good with the backcountry?'

'We need someone like you…a real born snowboarder, but not so much a trick fanatic' Zoe said 'besides we already have Nate on the team.'

'Ah' replied Mac 'well…I might know this one guy…I met him on the pro-circuit, he wasn't actually on the circuit, but he worked for them, he was a test rider, he'd go out and rest the runs.'

'What's his name' Zoe asked curiously.

'Ty Thorsen, the dudes from Tromso in Norway' Mac explained.

Zoe's eyes widened 'wow, that's real far north, if he grew up there he must have loads of experience.'

Before they could discuss it any further Zoe's phone rang and she pulled it out 'hello?'

'You got him yet' Atomika asked from the other end irritably.

'No nice to hear from you too Atomika' Zoe replied sarcastically.

Ignoring her he waited for her to reply 'yes I got him' she finally said, 'there you happy?'

'Ecstatic' Atomika replied sounding equally sarcastic 'tell him hi from me.'

'Atomika says hi Mac' Zoe said but Mac just snorted and raised the finger.

'He says hi too' Zoe replied with a grin 'now is there anything else you want?'

'Yeah, we're running out of time, so we're going to have to split up to find the others faster…I want you to go and get Elise, tell Mac to go find Kaori and I'm headed to France to speak with JP' Atomika explained.

'I thought we agreed JP was a bad idea' Zoe said.

'You got a better idea' Atomika asked grudgingly 'look when I get to Chamonix I'll ask around, maybe we'll get lucky.'

Zoe sighed 'alright, Mac reckons he knows a guy for New Zealand too…how should we get him?'

'Send Mac to get him' Atomika shrugged 'he knows how to find him right? So why not' before Zoe could argue Atomika hung up.

'So what did DJ Asstomika want' Mac asked curiously.

'He wants us to split up, re-group the others for this faster, just convince them to come to Canada, we can explain everything to them all together there' Zoe explained.

Mac shrugged 'sounds like a plan, I guess you want me to get Kaori right?'

'Yep, and this Ty guy too, you know where he might be now' Zoe asked.

'Probably still with the pro circuit, I mean why leave a great job like that, they pay him to test ride awesome courses, no stress, all fun' Mac replied.

Tane laughed 'when you put it that way, can't blame the guy.'

'Alright then, Tane and I will go and get Elise' Zoe said standing up 'where is she anyway?'

Mac shrugged 'Vancouver probably, I hear she has a big business empire set up there.'

Once DJ Atomika arrived in Chamonix, finding JP was no problem, he only had to follow the crowd of women to where he was sitting at the bottom of the slopes.

'Hey JP Arsenault right' DJ Atomika asked approaching him.

JP smiled 'zat is me, what do you want…you a fan?'

'No, I have a business offer for you' Atomika replied.

'Go on' JP said casually from where he sat, paying more attention to the women around him then Atomika.

'I represent SSX, we were hoping you could come and help us out' Atomika explained.

JP looked at him, eyebrow raised 'I was under ze impression zat SSX fell apart, not zat it was any big loss.'

_Man what a jerk _Atomika thought to himself 'well we're back' he explained 'we're planning a major event, and we need someone who knows the Alps really well for our World Tour…so what do you say?'

JP was silent for a moment, clearly looking thoughtful, finally he said 'I respectfully decline…however, if you need someone who knows ze Alps…I could suggest someone to you.'

'And who might that be' Atomika asked curiously.

JP turned his head and pointed towards a shop window not far away 'her poster is up there…well her poster is everywhere…I am surprised you have not heard of her.'

Leaving JP to flirt with the women Atomika went over to the window and looked at the poster, it said the following; _Alexis Moreau, The Chamonix Assassin_. Grinning ear to ear Atomika set out to find her.

Mac arrived in Tokyo and made his first stop at the Tokyo Megaplex, he figured the best way to find out where Kaori was would be to ask her older brother Akira, who runs the Tokyo Megaplex.

'Yoh Akira, where are you dog' Mac called out as he headed into the backroom of the building.

After several minutes Akira ran out 'Mac…hey, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for Kaori, need to talk to her urgently, some serious stuff is going down, tried to call her but I just got the answer machine' Mac explained.

Akira laughed 'no surprise, my sister is seriously busy nowadays, ever since SSX stopped.'

'Hey about that…I don't know what she told you…but I never meant to hurt her' Mac replied awkwardly.

Shrugging Akira said 'I'm just going to stay out of it, whatever is going on between you two, leave me out of it.'

'That jerk Sid isn't still hanging with her is he' Mac asked irritably.

'No, they still see each other from time to time, both being famous, but they also had a fight' Akira sounded pleased about that.

'Anyway I need to find her, serious news for her' Mac replied.

'So I hear, SSX is back' Akira replied 'first news announcement just came out.'

Mac was going to say something when his phone rang and he put it to his ear to receive Kaori's loud voice 'SSX came back and you don't tell me!'

'Hey I only just learned about the advert a second ago' Mac replied 'I was coming to talk to you.'

'You're in Tokyo' Kaori replied, sounding surprised and nervous.

'Yeah, where are you' Mac asked curiously.

Kaori growled irritably 'I haven't heard from you in ages, and now you just pop up unannounced, typical.'

'I tried calling babe, you didn't answer' Mac replied.

'Don't call me babe' Kaori snapped, sighing she added 'ok…where are you, I'll come pick you up…we'll talk.'

Looking out the window at Tokyo Mac said 'Tokyo Megaplex.'

As Zoe and Tane walked into the lobby of Elise's large skyscraper building Zoe shook her head in incredulity; did Elise have to take the phrase "larger than life" literally by living in a large skyscraper.

'Like I said before, you got friends that live in style' Tane said laughing.

'Elise isn't exactly a friend' Zoe replied 'me and her have a grudge rivalry going back to the formation of SSX.'

Tane grinned 'how'd that happen?'

'I made her look bad in public' Zoe replied grinning 'but I think it was good for her, bit of a smudge on the ego is good for you.'

Tane smiled as they stepped up to the reception desk and the lady looked up at them 'welcome, how can I help you?'

'Hi, I'm Zoe Payne…I need to speak to Elise' Zoe said.

The young receptionist gaped, cleary only just realising who she was 'oh my god, you're really her…Zoe Payne…oh this is so awesome, I love your riding so much!'

Smiling Zoe said 'thanks, appreciate that.'

'Could you sign something for me, please, I don't want to be a bother…it's just so awesome to meet you' the receptionist ranted.

'If you can tell us where Elise is that sounds fair' Zoe smirked, but she was only joking really.

'Miss Riggs? She's on the top floor, in her penthouse suite' the receptionist replied as she pulled out an old book on SSX 'I'll let her know you're coming up' she handed over the book and a pen.'

'What's your name then' Zoe replied, taking the pen.

'Kirsty' she replied 'thank you so much.'

'No problem' replied Zoe signing the book and handing it back to her.

The two of them went over to the elevators, got into one and headed for the top floor.

'Wow, you get a lot of that' Tane asked curiously.

Zoe shrugged 'at the Motocross events sometimes, been a while since I've seen SSX fans. You can't tell me you never get fans Tane.'

'I guess, but I'm not big on the fame and popularity, I appreciate the support…I just don't like the spotlight' he said.

'But I'm sure you've signed a few boards and stuff right' Zoe grinned nudging him.

Tane didn't reply but his awkward smile said enough 'so this Elise, she all I've heard.'

'Don't know, what have you heard' Zoe asked curiously.

'Big with the skill and talent, heard she won Platinum in her first SSX event…and her surfing stories stretch all the way to where I am' Tane said.

Zoe sighed 'as much as I hate to admit it, she is skilled, that's why we need her.'

The elevator stopped and they stepped out into a hallway facing large double doors directly ahead of them. They moved up to the doors and Zoe knocked.

Elise opened the door and after a long look at each other Elise finally said 'Zoe.'

'Elise' Zoe replied and she stepped past her into her suite and Tane followed her, he nodded in greeting to Elise as he passed.

'To what do I owe this strange visit' Elise replied, closing her door 'and who is your friend…he looks familiar.'

'This is Tane Mumea, he's the best surfer in the Southern Hemisphere' Zoe replied.

'But I don't like to boast' Tane added shrugging.

Elise narrowed her eyes 'is that so…I reckon I have heard of you, now I come to think of it…not by name though.'

'And I've heard of you too' Tane grinned 'you're an awesome surfer.'

'Thanks, guess from you that is real prays' Elise replied, turning back to Zoe she added 'so what's he doing with you, you finally dump Moby?'

'Moby and I were never together and Tane and I aren't together either' Zoe said defensively, crossing her arms.

Tane scratched his neck awkwardly and looked around the fancy suite.

Elise shrugged 'whatever you say, so what brings you both here then?'

'SSX' Zoe replied simply 'we need you back, got a big event planned and as much as kills me to say this…your skills could be helpful.'

Eyes sparkling Elise grinned 'well hey if you're going I don't have much choice do I…can't let you have all the glory.'

'It's not quite like that…not this year' Zoe said 'I'll explain as we go.'

'Sounds interesting' Elise replied 'lead the way.'

Zoe got back to Whitehorn Mountain to find Mac standing on the outside porch talking with…was that Kaori? It looked like her, fairly short but she had black hair now and a streak of pink at the front. Also she had a lot more make-up and style than she used to.

Seeing them Mac stopped arguing and called to them 'yoh, I got Kaori and Ty…he's inside somewhere.'

Nodding Zoe asked 'how about Atomika, did he get anybody?'

'Yeah, he's got this French chick called Alexis with him and Nate too' Mac replied.

'Hey Elise, long time no see' Kaori replied, she sounded slightly more mature and her English was much better but her sweet accent was still there.

Elise gave her a wave 'hey Kaori, you Mac made up yet?'

To that Kaori just rolled her eyes and smiled, then headed inside.

'Well I'm going to go say hi to Nate' Elise said 'always did like that guy.'

While Elise did that Zoe and Tane joined Mac 'so who is left' Tane asked.

'Moby and Psymon' Zoe replied 'and I have no idea how to contact either of them.'

'Well then we're screwed' Mac said casually 'you're the only one that was close to them' he turned and headed inside.

Zoe and Tane followed him, until they had a way to contact the others they may as well see how things were going.

The first person Zoe saw was Nate, the big guy was standing talking to Elise, he had shaved his hair back to the same shaved style he had when they had first met at Big Mountain.

'Zoe, howdy, Atomika dropped me a line, told me what's going on' Nate said as she walked over to him.

'Cool, how you been doing Nate?'

'Same old really, seeing the family, odd jobs for cash' Nate replied 'Tyson says hi to everyone by the way, bit bitter he was left out though I think.'

'Tell him we'll save him a place next time' Zoe grinned 'you heard from Griff or Allegra?'

Nate raised his eyebrow 'what makes you think I would have?'

'Well you and Griff were fairly close and Al liked both you and Griff…figured you'd keep in touch' Zoe said casually.

Nate frowned 'haven't seen them, but I heard word Griff is in Aspen a lot, still snowboarding, funny you didn't consider him for this adventure.'

'Too young, he's only…what 17' Zoe said 'what about Al?'

'Tyson keeps in touch with her sometimes…but I don't know much, probably still in California' Nate said 'so anyway…what is all this about exactly?'

Zoe sighed 'well we're still looking for Moby and Psymon…once they are here we'll explain.'

A voice made Zoe jump 'excuse me' she turned to see a guy with brownish blonde hair looking at her 'hey, I'm Ty Thorsen.'

'Hey Ty' Zoe said shaking his hand 'glad you could join us, I understand you were a test rider for the pro circuit?'

Ty nodded 'yeah, awesome job, but hey this sounds way more exciting to me from what Mac told me.'

'It should be' Zoe replied 'hopefully we can discuss more soon.'

Later that evening Zoe was outside, looking at all the equipment being brought in and getting set up when her phone rang 'hello?'

'Hey Zo, it's Moby, how you doin' Moby sounded cheerful enough but there was still a nervous edge to his voice.

'Moby, where are you' she asked.

'In Canada, I heard about SSX…where are you' he asked.

'Whitehorn Mountain, Todd's got a place here that we're all using' Zoe replied.

Moby cleared his throat 'look Zo…I know what happened between us…I know it's going to take time, but I didn't call about that…I called to say that if you need my help I'll be there.'

'Yes, we really need your skills Moby…and I could do with your company too, can't handle Elise alone' she said trying for a joke.

Moby gave a small laugh 'alright then, I'll be there quick as I can.'

There was a quiet roaring in the distance as Zoe hung up the phone…she moved onto the snow just outside the lodge and looked out into the distance, but it was too dark to see much. It couldn't be a vehicle, the only road to here was long, desolate and dangerous and it was far safer to come in by air.

The roaring got louder and a small light began to emerge from the darkness and trees 'holy cow it really is a vehicle, what kind of maniac would be driving out…oh god' Zoe said and laughed.

Clearly hearing the noise Mac, Kaori and Atomika came out 'what the hell is that noise' Atomika yelled.

'It's Psymon' Zoe said still laughing, the vehicles was getting fairly close now, she stepped away from the snow and nearer to the lodge.

'Crazy' Atomika muttered to himself, he turned and headed inside.

The large snowmobile came to a stop in front of the lodge, it was carrying a bunch of bags on a sleigh behind it, the bags looked strapped down tight. Psymon looked half frozen, covered in snow flecks and a gruff grim look on his face as he stepped off the snowmobile and marched over to Zoe.

'Why wasn't I told' he said 'SSX comes back and I'm the last to know apparently!'

'Chill Psymon, we were looking for you, we had no way of contacting you' Zoe replied.

'Yeah well' Psymon muttered gruffly 'whatever' he rubbed his face with his sleeve 'here now I guess' looking up at the others he grinned.

Mac groaned 'oh great, it's back.'

'Hey Kaori, you lookin good' he had that evil look on his face like he planned to do something crazy.

'Try something and I kick you where it hurts Psymon' Kaori said her eyes narrowed.

'Wow little girls got some guts' Psymon replied with a laugh 'I like that.'

Psymon had grown his hair back, clearly the bald style was not "in" anymore for him, he'd gone back to the spiked dreadlock style that he had at Big Mountain, his beard was also semi shaved, having areas completely shaven and areas where it was thick.

'So where's Moby at' Psymon asked curiously 'he here yet?'

'No, he's the last guy we need' Zoe replied.

Moving past the others Psymon said 'well I don't know about you guys…but I need a drink, I'm half frozen.'

'Atomika hide the beer' Mac yelled as they all followed him in.

When Moby arrived Todd and Atomika set up in Todd's cinema room, setting up the video.

All nine of the team members sat down in the chairs, watching the screen and Zoe stood beside Todd and Atomika.

'Ok everyone, aside from Mac and Tane you haven't been told much about what we're going to be doing, about what this SSX re-opening event is about' Zoe said to everyone 'I was asked by Todd and Atomika to help them set up an event that would help SSX regain our reputation…after that rather disastrous event at Powder Keg.'

'Go that right' Elise muttered.

'What exactly did happen' Tane asked curiously.

'I'll tell you what happened' Psymon started but Zoe cut him off.

'Psymon, we'll save that story for another day. Anyway we can have a tournament anytime, what we need is to work together as a team…and prove we can take down utterly anything not just race or pull off fancy tricks' Zoe explained.

'So if we're not competing against each other' Moby said 'what are we doing then?'

'We're going to conquer the 10 Deadly Descents…is there anyone here who doesn't know what that is' Zoe asked.

'Bugger me' Moby said sounding so shocked he could barely speak.

'I'm in' Psymon replied grinning like a lunatic.

Elise raised her hand 'I think you've lost your mind, I signed up to do the possible not kill myself.'

'I'm so in' Psymon repeated.

'I agree with Elise…that's beyond dangerous' Nate replied 'no way can we all pull that off.'

Psymon was about to repeat himself again when Moby nudged him 'we get it mate you're a lunatic.'

'You're missing what Zoe said guys' Mac replied 'we're a TEAM so we are each going to handle one of the mountain regions and one of the descents.'

'Oh' Elise replied 'that could work…maybe.'

'Are we sure no one has ever thought of doing this before us' Ty said reasonably 'sounds like someone might have tried.'

'That's the other problem…this guy Jack…he wants to conquer them too…all by himself so he's either wicked skilled or an idiot, guess we'll soon find out' Zoe said.

'So who's handling what mountain' Kaori asked curiously 'because like that…it could work.'

'I think we got that figured out' Atomika replied 'provided you all agree.'

Everyone nodded and sat up straight to listen 'ok Nate, you'll handle the Canadian Rockies, right outside' Todd said 'we figured you know them the best and you're a tough backcountry guy.'

'Makes sense to me' Nate replied 'any objections?'

No one said anything so Atomika said the next one 'Elise I understand you do wingsuiting?'

'Yeah' Elise replied 'so?'

'Well then Patagonia should be yours, the whole place is wingsuit mandatory, total playground for it' Atomika explained 'but the others are going to need some training in it too.'

Elise smiled 'no problem, leave it to me.'

'Tane, you can handle Alaska right' Zoe asked 'just like we talked about.'

Tane nodded giving her the thumbs up, Ty shifted and looked at Tane 'no offense dude, but how does a guy from Fiji know how to snowboard?'

Tane grinned 'surfing and snowboarding aren't so different, plus I did some in New Zealand and Australia, I can handle the avalanches Alaska is known for.'

Todd looked over at Psymon 'hey Psymon, you do glacier climbing right?'

Psymon nodded 'yep, what of it?'

'Well I think Siberia should be yours then, lots of ice, it's an uncontrollable place…so sending in someone as tough as you should make things interesting.'

'Sweet' Psymon bellowed 'I like it.'

'I'll handle Africa' Mac said 'that's what we agreed right Zoe.'

'Why you' Moby said, his eyebrow raised.

'Mac's is the epitome of a snowboarder, he's ridden more mountains than the rest of us put together' Zoe explained 'if anyone can take on a challenge like Africa…it's him.'

Mac nodded ''just another mountain to add to my collection.'

Atomika looked down at his chart 'Moby, do you think you can handle Antarctica?'

Moby laughed 'no problem mate, the cold's got nothing on me.'

Raising her arm Kaori said 'whose going to handle the Alps? We don't really know anyone familiar with them.'

'Zat will be my job' came a voice and they all turned to look at the tall, dark haired Alexis.

'It makes the most sense' Atomika said reasonably 'JP told me about Alexis, she's a champion of the Alps, she holds records all over that region.'

Alexis nodded 'I know the region like ze back of my hand, I can handle it.'

'Kaori, Mt Fuji in Japan is our smallest region but nothing to be underestimated…we reckon you should handle it, you know the terrain' Todd said 'what do you think?'

Kaori shrugged 'sounds fine to me, personally I'd enjoy a bit more action, but hey…I don't mind.'

'Tell you what Kaori' Zoe said 'why don't you help me out in the Himalayas too.'

Kaori grinned 'I'll think about.'

'Just remember that the descent there is mine' Zoe replied 'I've dreamed of riding Mt Everest all my life…and now I'm going to do it.'

'So I guess that leaves me with the Southern Alps' Ty said casually grinning.

'Yep' Atomika replied 'got serious conditions there, I hope your backcountry skills live up to their reputation.'


End file.
